Facing headwinds that include decreased weekday foot traffic from office workers and disruptive construction, Walgreens is ending a nearly century-long run in Des Moines’ central business district.
Walgreens corporate spokesperson Samantha Stansberry confirmed that the location at 606 Walnut St. will shut down Feb. 26. The pharmacy will cease dispensing prescriptions at 3 p.m. that day.
“When faced with the difficult decision to close a Walgreens location, several factors are considered, including our existing footprint of stores, dynamics of the local market, health equity classification metrics and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers,” Stansberry said.
A location of the second-largest pharmacy chain in the United States has called downtown Des Moines home since early February 1929, seven years after a Walgreens employee invented the malted milkshake and long before it became a self-service retailer.
It’s seen plenty of change as it grew with the city surrounding it.